The Florida Panthers will have to wait at least a few more days to lift their first Stanley Cup, as the dormant Edmonton Oilers offense woke up in a big way Saturday night with EIGHT goals.
The Oilers defeated the Panthers 8-1 to extend the NHL season by at least three days with Game 5 scheduled for Tuesday night in Sunrise, Florida.
Edmonton had seven different scorers in the game and scored the first two scorers of the contest.
Florida scored its only goal of the game to pull within one midway through the first period.
Then came six unanswered Edmonton goals.
Edmonton’s eight goals sparked one of the most powerful offenses in the NHL on Saturday
The Florida Panthers’ hopes of lifting their first Stanley Cup will have to wait at least a few days
Although beating the Panthers three straight times to lift the Stanley Cup remains a difficult challenge, Canada’s dream of ending the country’s 30-plus-year Stanley Cup drought remains alive for a few more days.
On Edmonton’s seventh goal of the game, Connor McDavid scored his 32nd assist of the playoffs, setting the all-time postseason record.
The record previously belonged to former Edmonton star Wayne Gretzky.
Edmonton is winless on the road in this series, and Game 5 will return to the United States.
The Panthers have not lost in Florida in regulation since the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Bruins.
Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky had been subdued in the Stanley Cup Finals until Saturday.
Bobrovsky was pulled five minutes into the second period after allowing five goals on 16 shots, more than he allowed in the first three games of the series combined.
The Oilers also improved to 3-0 this postseason when facing elimination. To win the Stanley Cup, that record will have to reach six unblemished victories.
